Chapter 2: I won the bet

After Caroline checked into her room, she didn’t know what to do now because if she would stay in the room, then she would start crying again. She wanted to confront both Mark and Alice and ask them why they did do this to her.

She was away from Grenoble and had gone home to Paris just for two weeks because her grandpa’s health wasn’t right, and he broke up with me with a text just two days after his wedding without giving any reason. She couldn’t run to him, leaving her family like an idiot, not when her grandfather had just started showing positive signs of recovery and also her younger sisters were going to shift for the first time on their eighteen birthday. So she shared about it with Dylan, and he found out the real reason when he landed at his place and met his parents as Mark’s friends, seeing all the arrangements for the wedding. And from there, he came to know that Mark and Alice had been in a relationship for more than a year now.

‘Is this why Mark never texted me first from the beginning? He just replied, didn’t he? He always Alice, that’s why he used me.’ She now observed that fact because after crying for this long, her eyes were clear to see everything clearly. More than Mark, she was pissed at Alice; how could she could this to her own best friend?

Did she ever consider her a best friend? If yes, then a true best friend could never think of stabbing his or her friend at her back.

‘Is am that hard to love?’ She wondered, and tears started brimming in her eyes again. “No!! I shouldn’t think in that way; there is nothing wrong with me!”

[Alice: Caroline, how can you hide your real identity from me? You are my best friend. I can’t believe that you betrayed me.]

[Alice: Ask your dad and brother to stop attacking my dad’s business.]

Caroline rolled her eyes at her words.

‘I betrayed her? Okay, fine! Maybe I did by not telling my real identity, but I’m not guilty of that.’ Caroline thought. ‘And they should be thankful that dad and Colton are attacking her dad’s business, not at them. If not for humans, they would have the head of both Mark and Alice’s head in their hands.

[Caroline: Colt, please don’t punish her dad for her daughter’s mistake and convince dad to do the same.] She left a message for her brother, and in the next second, a message popped again. She thought it was from Colton, but it was from Mark.

[Mark: Babe, I’m ready to patch up with you.]

[Mark: Only you’re the one who can save me from this witch, Alice. She forced me to marry her. I will divorce her right away. Just… just give me a second chance. I love you.]

‘Don’t… Don’t reply to him, Caro. This is an emotional trap. Don’t let him fool you.’ Caroline’s mind alerted her.

She searched for ‘Places to visit in Madrid at night and then went through all the options and finally chose one with a smile.

*

“Finally, for the first time!!” Caroline whispered, looking at the nightclub. Her parents were not the strict ones, but they were a BIG no for nightclubs and Alcohol even though all the kids were already 18+ now. Caroline reached near the bar and looked around.

‘Woaahhh!! There are so many types of drinks here.’ She thought, looking around.

“primera vez aquí?” The bartender asked with a smile observing Caroline’s expression.

“Sorry. I don’t understand Spanish.” Caroline replied, not understanding what he was saying.

“First time here?” he asked again, but this time in English.

“Yes”

“And don’t know what to order?”

“Umm, yeah!!” Caroline smiled, feeling embarrassed because she was already twenty-five and had never visited any nightclub. “Can you suggest to me something without Alcohol?” She asked.

“Sure.”

Caroline settled on the stool and looked at most of the people, enjoying themself with their partners, and here she was sitting alone again.

‘Even I should get myself a partner for having fun. Of course, not that one-night stand thing.’ She thought and looked around in search of any single guy, but at the same time, she didn’t want any shameless guy because she was afraid that she might end up breaking his bones.

The bartender served her Mojito and saw her searching for something or someone.

“Searching someone?”

“Umm… yeah!! Someone who has some standards and to whom I can ask for a dance. I mean, just dance.” Caroline repeated again.

“There was a young man here a few minutes ago who went toward the washroom because that girl in almost like swimsuit dress was throwing herself at him, and he was avoiding her from the moment he was here.” The bartender said, looking at a woman, crossing her arms around her chest to make it look bigger. Even Caroline didn’t like her choice of clothes.

‘Is she on the beach or something? It looked like her bosoms would pop out any moment.’ Caroline thought.

“Maybe because he could be married?” Caroline suggested. Just because Mark cheated on her, she couldn’t judge all the men in the whole world because he knew that there were also men like her dad. And she was the opposite; that her brothers would stay loyal to women, they would love.

“I don’t think so because he wasn’t wearing a wedding ring. Also, that woman knew his name, which means that woman knew him. His name is…. I guess, Artemis. He is wearing a t-shirt and denim blue jeans and looks decent. You can ask him if you want, but I’m not sure that he will say YES.” The bartender suggested and demotivated Caroline at the same time.

Caroline nodded her head; she wasn’t going to ask that Artemis guy until she confirmed with her own eyes that he looked decent or not. In case he would be, then she would ask him for a dance to save him from that woman before he turned her down.

Because in this way, there would be a WIN-WIN situation for both of them.

She was thinking all this when a man, matching the description that the bartender had given her, walked out of the washroom area. But little did she know that he failed to acknowledge her, that he looked sooooo handsome, and observing his strong arms, she could get that works out a lot. She checked him out from top to bottom, and she realized one thing for sure!

That this man was rich because the Rolex watch he was wearing cost a fortune, but instead of coming toward the bar, he started walking out when his gaze landed on the swimsuit woman.

“Artemis….Artemis!!!” She ran behind him, wearing her five-inch heels, and she observed how she, intensionally, she acted fell down. “Aaahhh… Artemis.” She cried in pain. That Artemis guy turned around angrily to look at that woman, but instead of looking at the woman on the floor, his eyes landed on Caroline, and in the next moment, he wasn’t angry.

‘That’s her.’

‘That mysterious girl.’

‘We met again.’ His wolf, Bolt, howled in joy. ‘Go, Artemis. Talk to her and try to know her. She is looking at us.’ he added.

Well, to be honest, only Caroline wasn’t the one who was looking at Artemis at that time. Because of the stunt that Gaby, the woman chosen by his mom as his future mate, had pulled out, people around Gaby were looking at him only.

‘How can this woman make herself look like a victim and that man as a heartless person?’ Caroline told when she observed that how everyone was looking at Artemis as if they would eat him. She got from her seat, finished the Mojito, and walked toward him with a smile on her face.

She placed her hand on his shoulder, and a wave of spark ran through her body. She clearly observed how his eyes changed for a second, but Artemis was quick to hide it.

‘MATE’ Bolt howled and started jumping in Artemis's mind, but they still couldn’t sense her smell scent.

‘Holy shit, he is a werewolf.’ She screamed in her mind. ‘But why do I feel the spark? I never felt in this way when I touched other werewolves?’ She wondered, not knowing the fact that this was a sign for a werewolf to find his or her mate.

“I won the bet.” She said, ignoring all the things in her mind. “I told you that if you will come here without me by your side, then all woman will surely try to throw herself at you. After all, you’re so famous and rich, Artemis.”

Artemis sensed her lie, but he didn’t mind playing along. Wrapping his hand around her, he spoke with a smirk, “I promise, from now onwards; I will never ever leave your side. And just because I lost the bet, I’m all yours till eternity.” With this, he slammed his lips against Caroline’s.

‘Holycow! Did he really need to kiss me to act that we are actually together?’ She screamed in her mind, looking at the drop-dead gorgeous man with gray eyes. Not just that, his touch was sending a spark all over her body.

She tasted his mouth, and that was when she realized that he had drunk the same Mojito that she had been drinking a few minutes before.

Now everyone looked at Gaby angrily and thought of her as the third person except for the bartender, who knew the actual story, but he just smiled, looking at the young couple.

.

#TBC